ENGLEWOOD — The boyfriend of 40-year-old Tammy Pitts Gaddy pleaded not guilty on Jan. 31 in the double homicide of Gaddy and her 5-year-old daughter Natasia.

"He lived with this little girl," said Crystal Williams, a friend of Gaddy’s, after Brady’s arraignment. "Even after you killed the mother, how can you sit there and put a bag over the little girl’s head and see her beg for her life? What sort of person does that?"

The Superior Court room was packed on Jan. 31 with family and friends of the victim and the suspect.

Alleged murder suspect, Michael C. Brady, of Teaneck, did not speak during his arraignment hearing on Jan. 31 before Judge Liliana S. DeAvila-Silebi, of Superior Court in Hackensack.

His attorney Paul Giblin, Jr. entered a not guilty plea.

Bail remained $2 million with no 10 percent option, the same amount that was set at the time of Brady’s arrest.

"We want justice," said Felicia Smith, a friend of Tammy.

While Brady was a quiet man, Gaddy and Brady had fights in the past, said Williams. There was a history of arguments that were reported at the apartment, although no restraining orders were issued to the best of police’s knowledge, said Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli during a press conference.

"It wasn’t the first time they had a fight, but I never thought he’d take it this far," said Williams.

Williams said Tammy’s mother was trying to get in contact with her daughter at 6 a.m. in order to bring Natasia to school on the morning of Jan. 29, but heard no response.

"They found [Brady] later on and let him in the house," said Williams. "He pretended he didn’t have a key so he climbed through the window. When he got through the window, he said ‘oh my god, they got her tied up. She wasn’t even tied up. Right away, he went straight to the basement where the little girl was, since he knew that’s where he left her."

Williams and Smith believed Brady was the culprit from the beginning, as Tammy had told Smith on Sunday that she had "something very important to talk to her about."

Brady, 34, and Gaddy had dated for three years, according to a statement from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office. He resided occasionally in Gaddy’s 276 West Palisade Ave. apartment with Gaddy and Natasia, who was not his biological child. When not living at the Englewood apartment, Brady stayed in his parent’s home in Teaneck.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 28, Brady allegedly stabbed Gaddy during an altercation. Before fleeing the scene, investigators believe Brady smothered Natasia to death with a garbage bag after she witnessed the stabbing.

On Jan. 29, family members confronted Brady after not hearing from Gaddy for an extended period of time, said officials. Brady went with the family members to the West Palisade apartment and acted as if he had discovered the bodies after entering through a side window on the first floor of the building, said the prosecutor’s office.

Englewood police would soon respond to a call at 12:01 p.m. of a possible burglary at Gaddy’s residence. Police observed that the side window had been forcibly opened and three individuals were inside the residence, according to a statement from the police. Gaddy’s body was then found in the first floor of the apartment, while Natasia’s body was found in the basement.

Brady, who was employed by Pritchard Industries and worked at Leonia Middle School as a custodian, is being charged with two counts of first degree murder, one count of second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and third degree hindering apprehension.

"We’re certainly sorry for the family members who have lost their loved ones," said Englewood Police Chief Arthur O’Keefe. "We hope this arrest may give them some comfort."

O’Keefe said he appreciated the help of the prosecutor’s office, sheriff’s office, county police, and the Tenafly Police Department for their part in the investigation.

"We obviously don’t want crime to go unpunished, especially something of this nature, the homicide of a woman and child," said O’Keefe. "Detectives worked around the clock until the time the defendant was arrested."